11th edition of Indian Horticulture Congress dwells on innovation and better management techniques

Bengaluru: The 11th edition of the Indian Horticulture Congress and International Meet was inaugurated on Thursday at the University of Agricultural Sciences at GKVK. The four-day event is on till Saturday. 

It was inaugurated by Padma Bhushan awardee Dr RS Paroda, former Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and Director General at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), and Dr Mangi Lal Jat, Secretary, DARE and Director General, ICAR.

Speaking at the event, Dr Jat highlighted the three mandates set by the Prime Minister for the agriculture sector — to focus on biofortified crops, harnessing biodiversity and use of bio-based inputs for soil health management, and emphasised that traditional crops should be explored for achieving nutritional security and also for climate resilience. Dr Paroda highlighted the role of the horticulture sector in achieving national security, and commended the sector for surpassing cereal production. 

On Thursday, various presentations on the topic Innovations in Seed Multiplication, Propagation and Nursery Techniques, Precision Horticulture and New Age Farming Technologies, and Precision Horticulture and New Age Farming Technologies were also conducted. 

On November 8 and 9, oral papers on Alternative Strategies in Horticultural Diversity Conservation and Pre-breeding, Breeding of Horticultural Crops and Plant Variety Protection, Bioprospecting of Indigenous and Underutilised Horticultural Crops, and Innovations in Post-Harvest Biology and Management, among other topics, will be presented. 

ICAR, ICMR collaborate to boost nutrition security

At the event, Dr Jat announced that they will join hands with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to achieve nutrition security in the country. He informed that a meeting will be held with the Medical Research Council on November 11 in New Delhi, on a mandate given by the Prime Minister to encourage bio-fortified foods, agro-biodiversity, and to strengthen the local food system.